Notching roller assembly for grid winding machine



March 10, 1959 J. A. CHASE 2,877,

NOTCHING ROLLER ASSEMBLY FOR GRID WINDING MACHINE Filed June 24, 1955 l I i a l 1:60 L

INVENTOR.

Jar-m F1. EHHSE rroe/y y NOTCHING ROLLER ASSEMBLY FOR GRID WINDING MACHINE John A. Chase, Nutley, N. J., assignor to Radio Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware Application June 24, 1955, Serial No. 517,710

' 3 Claims. (Cl. 308-70) This invention relates to the art of manufacturing wire grid electrodes for electron tubes and, particularly to novel apparatus for use in winding grid electrodes and for cutting uniformly spaced'notehes in continuous wire rods.

A grid electrode for use in an electron tube comprises, in general, a fine wire wound around a pair of spaced side rods with the turns of the wire spaced apart a predetermined distance. According to one method of winding a grid, the side rods are held spaced apart and rotated and notches are out along the length of therods. As the notches are cut, the wire is wound around the rod with the turns of the wire falling into the notches. A peening roller then deforms the side walls of each notch to retain the turns of wire in position.

One apparatus for notching the side rods includes a cutting disk-secured to a hub having 'a bore by means of which the hub is rotatably, mounted on a support shaft. After a period of use, the cutting disk is removed from the shaft to be sharpened and is positioned on another shaft on a grinding machine or the like. After a number of sharpening operations, the bore of the hub becomes enlarged and, as a result, the hub then rides loosely and shifts position intermittently on the support shaft of the notching machine. Such shifting of the hub produces non-uniform spacing of the notches in the side rods and non-uniform spacing of the turns of wire wound thereon.

Accordingly, the principles and objects of this invention are concerned with the provision of improved apparatus for cutting uniformly spaced notches in continuous metal rods of the type employed as side rods for grid electrodes used in electron tubes.

In general, the principles and objects of this invention are accomplished by the provision of two conical members having the same taper and positioned spaced apart and in axial alignment. The two conical members are oriented with their apices directed toward each other and with their surfaces tapering at the same angle toward each other. A hub having a central bore is rotatably supported between the two conical members with the ends of the bore conically tapered at the same angle to receive and conform to the tapered surfaces of the conical members. The hub carries a cutting or notching disk which cuts the required notches in grid side rods.

The invention is described in greater detail by reference to the drawing wherein:

Fig. l is an elevational view, partly in section, of apparatus embodying the principles of the invention; and,

Fig. 2 is an end view of the apparatus of Fig. 1.

The apparatus of the invention described herein is employed as a portion of an automatic grid-winding machine which winds grid electrodes by the so-called notching and peening method.

Referring to Fig. 1, the apparatus of the invention includes a generally U-shaped housing or yoke 10 having legs 12 and 14 which are spaced apart as shown. The housing 10 is adapted to be bolted or otherwise secured to nited States Patent 2,877,065 smegma-. 0. 1959 a frame of a grid-winding machine by means of a threaded stud 16 or'the like. The leg 12 has a circular aperture 18 extending axially through the leg at the lower end thereof as seen in Fig. I and a comparatively narrow slot 20 which extends vertically therefrom and horizontally through the leg from edge to edge. The leg 14 has a threaded aperture 22 extending axially through the leg at the lower end thereof and having substantially the same diameter as the hole 18. slot 24 extends vertically from the aperture 22 and horizontally through the leg from edge to edge. The apertures 18 and 22 and slots 20 and 24 are axially aligned to present, in effect, a continuous aperture and slot through the housing 10.

A 1 generally cylindrical member 26 having a threaded outer surface is screwed into the threaded aperture 22 in the leg 14. The threaded member has a central aperture 27 extending axially therethrough and a dowel pin 28 extending across the aperture near one end thereof. The threaded member 26 has, at its inner vend adjacent to the space between the legs, a generally conical surface 30 which tapers towardthe leg 12. A lock screw 32 which extends through the leg 14 across the slot 24 is provided for clamping the threaded member 26 in a selected position in the leg 14.

A generally cylindrical pin 34 is provided in the housing 10 and includes a generally cylindrical leading portion 36 adapted to be inserted into the aperture 27 in the threaded member 26 and having a slot 38 cut in the end thereof which is adapted to receive'the dowel pin 28. The leading portion 36 has a diameter substantially equal to the diameter of the aperture 27 in the threaded member. The pin 34 also includes a trailing portion 40 of a larger diameter than the leading portion and substantially equal to the diameter of the aperture 18 in the leg 12. The leading and trailing portions of the pin are interconnected by a generally conical wall portion 42 which tapers toward the leg 14. Thus the conical surfaces 30 and 42 are tapered toward each other. The pin 34 is provided with a slot 44 in the free end of the trailing portion, said slot being adapted to receive a tool, such as a screwdriver, for adjusting the pin and a lock screw 46 is provided in the leg 12 for securing the pin in position therein.

A hub 48 having a central bore 50 of larger diameter than the leading portion of the pin carries a cutting disk 52 which is secured thereto by a lock nut 54 threaded on the hub. The bore of the hub has generally conical walls 56 and 58 at each end which taper at the same angle toward each other. Thus, according to the inven tion, when the hub is rotatably mounted on the pin 34 it is supported between the wall portions 30 and 42 with all abutting conical wall portions conforming to each other.

In operation of the apparatus shown in Figure 1, the threaded member 26 is first properly positioned in the threaded aperture 22 in the leg 14. Then with the hub 48 mounted on the pin 34 the pin is adjusted to properly orient the hub 48 and is tightened in position by the lock screw 46. The side rods 60 to be notched are then rotated and driven horizontally past the cutting surface of the disk 52 whereby the desired notches are provided in the side rods.

When it is desired to sharpen the cutting disk 52, the pin 34 is removed from the housing 10, the hub 48 is slipped olf the pin and is mounted in a grinding machine between two conical surfaces which are made to conform to the conical surfaces 30 and 42. Thus, no matter how often the hub is removed for a sharpening operation, it may always be properly repositioned in the notching machine between the adjustable conical walls 30 and 42 and accurately located notches may be made.

What is claimed is:

1. A bearing assembly for supporting a rotary member with provision for wear compensation, said assembly comprising a shaft having a conical bearing surface intermediate its ends, a sleeve in telescoped relation with respect to said shaft'and having a conical bearing surface complementary to the bearing surface on said shaft, means engaging said shaft and sleeve for restraining relative rotational movement thereof, support means threadedly engaging said sleeve, whereby said rotation of said shaft produces axial movement of said sleeve for adjustment of the position of said sleeve in said support, said shaft being movable axially in said sleeve for adjusting the spacing between said conical bearing surfaces, and means mounted on .said support means for locking said shaft against rotational and axial movement with respect to said support, whereby said sleeve is locked against rotation and the adjusted spacing between said conical bearing surfaces is fixed, said shaft having engageable means at one end portion thereof for rotating said sleeve and moving saidshaft axially with respect thereto, said locking means being adjacent to said one end portion, for convenient accessibility.

2. A bearing assembly for supporting a rotary member with provision for wear compensation, comprising a housing having two spaced legs defining aligned passageways, an elongated shaft extending through said passageways, one end portion of said shaft snugly engaging the wall of one of said passageways, a sleeve mounted in the other of said passageways, the other end portion of said shaft extending into said sleeve, said sleeve having an end portion disposed between said legs, said sleeve end portion and a portion of said shaft intermediate said end portions thereof defining complementary conical surfaces spaced a predetermined distance along said shaft, said sleeve being in threaded engagement with the other of said passageways for axial adjustment in response to wear of one of said conical surfaces, said shaft having a diametric longitudinally extending slot in said other end portion thereof, a pin fixed to and extending diametrically across said sleeve and engaging said slot, whereby said shaft is movable axially with respect to said sleeve to provide said predetermined distance after said adjustment, and means engaging one of said legs for locking said shaft against relative movement with respect to said sleeve for preserving said predetermined distance.

3. A bearing assembly according to claim 1, and wherein said shaft is provided with engageable means at said one end portion thereof for axially rotating said sleeve in an adjusting movement and for axially moving said shaft with respect to said sleeve after said adjusting movement, and said one end portion is disposed to the same side of said assembly as said one of said legs, whereby adjustment of the spacing between said conical surfaces and locking of said shaft with respect to said sleeve require access from said one side only.

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